Process of manufacturing plate-links for drive-chains.



P. L. MORSE. PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING PLATE LINKS 'FOR DRIVE CHAINS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 4, 1913.

Patented Feb. 2, 1915;

M55 lwimrofl UNITED STATES PATENT onmcn.

Fan a p nonsn, or rTnAcA, NEW YORK, assienon To MORSE 01mm comran or rrnaca, NEW YORK, a CORPORATION on NEW YORK.

rnocnss oruanni aor-unms PLATE-LINKS non DRIVE-CHAINS.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, FRANK citizen 'of the United States, residin at Ithaca, in the county of Tompkinsand tate of New York, have invented acertain new and useful Improvement in the Process of Manufacturing Plate-Links for Drive- Chains, of which improvement the following is a specification. 7

This invention relates to the manufacture of links for drive chains of that type in which the links are formed'of plates stamped or punched from sheet metal. In this type of chain the link plates are connected by hardened steel pintles extending through and bearing within openings punched in said plates, and the edges of the link plates engage the teeth of the sprocket wheels in driving. It is therefore important that the metal at the outside edge of the link plates where-the same bear against the sprocket teeth and the edge at the pintle openings which is engaged by the pintles should be hardened in order to increase the wearing qualities and prolong the useful life of the chain. It is desirable,'however, that the side surfaces of the linkplates should not be hardened as this tends to make the plates brittle, and more difficult to work, and the object of my invention is to provide an improved process of manufacture, whereby the hardening is localized or limited to the desired points, such process comprising coating both sides of the metal sheet or strip with a protective covering before the link plates are stamped or punched out, then stamping and punching said plates, thus leaving the raw metal edges and pintle holes exposed, and then case-hardening the link plates, such hardening process being thus limited to the exposed edge in the pintle holes and to outside edges of said link plates since the sides of said link plates are protected by the coating, and will not. be affected by the carbonizing action of the compound.

The preferred method of applying the protecting coating to both sides of the metal sheets or strips is to immerse the samein the liquid of an electro-plating device in which the metal coating, such as copper, is deposited upon the strip or plate as it passes through the. liquid. By using a tank of sufficient length, the strip of metal will he sufiiciently coated with copper during its I Specification of Letters mum.

L. Monsn, a

Patented Feb. 2, 1915.

Application aiea December 4,1913. Serial N 304,599.

regular rate of movement to'the stamping or punching machine, and no time will be lost in applying the protective coating. The link plates are then punched out in the usual way and embedded in the ordinary carhonizing material of the casehardening device 1n which the copper plating protects the sides of the links from being affected while the exposed, surface, of the freshly punched edges of metal in the pintle openings and at the outside edge of said link plates is readily acted upon by the carbonizlng material and the hardening occurs upon, these exposed surfaces only. i

In the accompanying drawing: Figure 1 is aview showing an apparatus for plating and punching the metal strip comprising. the

link stock: and Fig. 2, a plan of a piece of the metal strip showing some of the links punched out. v 4

Accordin to the construction shown in Fig. 1. the link stock or strip, 6, is formed .in a coil supported-on a frame or casing, 3,

from which it isadapted to unroll and pass through a suitable electro-platin bath in 8 a tank. l, where it receives the desired coating of-copper during its movement at the usual rate to the punching machine, 5. wh re it passes between the feed rollers, 7. The

punching machine o erates in the usual way.

to first punch the holes for the pintles of the chain links and then to punch out the link lates themselves. as indicated in Fig. 2. This lea es exposed the freshly formed surfaces of the ed es of the link plates andthe pintle holes, while the side surfaces of the link plates are protected by the co er coating, and the plates are then embedded in the carhonizing material of the casehardening device where these exposed surfaces are readily hardened, as above described.

It will be seen that by means of my im-- tective covering, then punching out the linkplates from said sheet, thus leaving the edges of the link plates'exposed, and then casehardening the links. I I

2. The method of manufacturing link plates for drive chains, which consists in coatingv both sides of a sheet metal strip Y 'with a thin protective covering, then punchplates for drive chains, whichfcons1sts in I electro-plating a blank sheet metal strip, then punching out the link plates from said onizing the exposed surfaces in the .ing out the link lates from saidsheet and unching f the 'pmtle holes therein, thus eaving the edges-of the lates and pintle holes exposed, and then em edding said link plates in case-hardening material and carholes and at the edge of the plates.

3.- The method of manufacturing link pintle.

' my hand."

sheet, thus leaving the edges' of the link plates exposed, and then embedding said I link plates in case-hardening material and carbonizing the exposed edges of the metal.

and the outer edge of the link plates exposed, and-then embedding said link plates in case-hardening material and carbonizing said exposededges of the same. a

In testimony, whereof I have hereunto set v FRANK L. MORSE. Witnesses: I I

EDWARD A. \V'RIGHT, A. S. F0w1.nn. 

